Card-index device



R. C. RUSSELL.

CARD INDEX DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.2I, I9Ia.

I 1,323,724, Patented Dec. 2,1919.

III

'Il mi IU 7mm.. ww

@www

Guen/:wip

ROBERT C. RUSSELL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

GARD-INDEX DEVICE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application filed August 21, 1918. Serial No. 250,817.

'scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This inventori relates to improvements in card indexes and more particularly to mechanical means for holding` the cards.

Heretofore, it has been customary to arrange the cards of an index in a drawer or rectangular box with the lower edges of the cards resting in the same plane at the bottom of such container. This causes the cards to lie parallel with eac-h other, making it necessary to leaf7 the cards, separating them one from another in order to make visible the dat-a contained on each. card. Such leafing must be performed on each card in turn, throwing the card to the front to separate it from the following card, so that the second card may be visible. This process is laborious as well as detrimental to the cards, and furthermore, with an index of considerable size it is necessary, from the standpoint of economy, to have the drawers of a card index of such length that the oper` ator must lean over the same in an unnatural and tiring posit-ion, thus tending to fatigue the operator and hence reduce the efficiency of the index. l

The object of my invention is to obviate the'objections and inconveniences `of card indexes above mentioned and to produce a card index wherein any card or group of cards may be easily and quickly brought to position where it may be most efficiently handled by the operator.

A further object is to provide an index wherein each card is so separated from those preceding and following it as to afford a quick and ready reference to the operator, and minimize wear on the cards through leang them.

A further object is to so construct a rotary card index device that the cards will be properly held from escape and at the same time permit the easy insertion or withdrawal of cards. f

lVith these and other obJects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts .as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a. view in side elevation of a card index device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5'is a detail view of one of the drum segments.

1 represents a supporting stand or frame provided with bearings 2 for trunnions of a rotatable drum 3, said trunnions being formed, in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, at respective ends of a shaft 3a passing through the drum 3.

The body portion 4 of the drum may be made in two parts and it is provided with a central peripheral channel 5 having grooved or undercut walls as indicated at 6, for a purpose hereinafter explained. The sides of the drum comprise segmental movable panels or members 7 which coperate to form peripheral flanges at each side or end of the body of the drum and between these flanges or segmental members, the cards 8 of the index are located.

Each segmental member 7 is provided on its inner face with a curved rib 9 and the ribs of the several assembled segments will aline to form a continuous rib projecting inwardly from the sides or ends of the drum. These ribs are made approximately V- shaped in cross sectio1i,-tliat is to say, the inner face of each rib is slightly inclined upwardly so that when said ribs enter similarly shaped notches 9a in the ends of the 'index cards, the latter will be pressed inwardly and their inner edges will be caused to rest firmly against the peripheral face of the body of the drum. The entrance of the ribs into the notches of the cards will also serve to prevent displacement of the latter.

Threaded rods 10 are secured to the body of the drum and project laterally therefrom so as to pass freely throu h holes 11 in the segmental side members ,--the projecting threaded ends of said rods serving to receive thumb nuts 12 whereby said segmental side members are normally secured in place.

Headed pins 13 are also secured to the body of the drum and pass freely throughv holes 14 in the segmental side members, said pins also passing through .sockets 15 in the drum. In these sockets, springs 16 are located and normally tend to press the segmental side members outwardly. From this construction, it will be seen that lwhen the thumb nuts 12 of two diametrically opposite segmental side members are loosened, said side members will be pressed outwardly by the springs 16 and thus the ribs 9 on these segmental members will be moved out of notches 9a of the cards between suc-h released segmental members and permit any one or more of the cards to be removed or cards to be inserted.

In order to lhold the cards in place under normal conditions, followersl?, 17 are-employed.- Each of these comprises a bar 18 with which a presser plate 19 is loosely connected through the medium of pins 20 and surrounding each of these pins is a spring 21 which serves to yieldingly press the plate 19 against the end of the series of cards. A rod 22 passes freely through each follower bar 18 and has connected to its inner end, a clamping plate 23 which enters the annular lchannel 5 in the periphery of the drum and is provided with lips 24 to enter the grooves 6 in the walls of said channel. The outer end portion of each rod 22 is threaded to receive a thumb nut 25 whereby the plate 23 can be clamped to the drum. It is apparent that by loosening the clampin nut 25, the follower can be moved relative y to the cards to release or to clamp the latter.

It will be observed that my invention provides for the mounting of the cards on the curved peripheral surface of a revoluble drum having a horizontal axis. r1`he bottoms of the series thus form a part of a circle coincident with the peripheral face of the body of the drum, while the outer or top portions ofthe cards form art of another circle concentric with the rst. Thus the cards take the positions of radii'of the concentric circles and consequently, while the bottom portions of the cards are held tightly against each other, the top portions of the cards will be sutiiciently separated to permit them to be made visible by placing the finger lightly on the tops of said cards and slowly rotating` the drum, thus springing the cards one after another. Or, if desired, the tops of the cards may be-leafed over, the spaces between the tops of said cards greatly facilitating this and minimizing wear.

Various changes might 'be made in the detalls of construction of my invention 'without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precisedetails herein set forth.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A card index device, comprising a receptacle 4having a curved surface disposed concentricto a horizontal axis, side mem- IIGW bers carrying inwardly projecting ribs, cards having notched edges to receive said ribs, said cards resting against said curved surface, and means for causing said ribs to enter the notches in the cards` or to recede therefrom.

2. A card index device, comprisin a receptacle having a curved surface disposed concentric to a horizontal axis, cards in said receptacle and resting against said curved surface, said cards having notches formed with inclined lower edges, ribs carried by the sides of the receptacle and having inclined edges to engage the inclined lower edges of the notches in the cards, and means for causing said ribs to enter the `notches in the cards or to recede therefrom.

3. A card index device, comprising a drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis and having a peripheral face concentric to said axis, and constitutinga seat for the bottom edges of cards, means for holding cards onl said drum with their bottom edges seated upon said peripheral face thereof, and means for clampingthe lower portions of the series of cards.

4. A card index device, comprising a drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis and having a curved peripheral face concentric to said axis, said curved peripheral face constituting a seat for the .bottom edges of cards, said drum provided with side members forming ianges projecting beyond the body of the drum to Areceive cards between them, said flanges provided with ribs to enter notches in the cards, and means for clamping the lower portions of a series of cards mounted on the peripheral face of the drum.

5. A card index device, comprising a drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis and having a peripheral face concentric to said axis, said drum having a channeled peripheral portion, said drum having ribbed side portions rojecting beyond the body of the drum an adapted to engage cards mounted on the peripheral face of the drum, clamping means disposed between said side portions and connected with the channeled peripheral portion ofthe drum.

6. A card index device, comprising a drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis and having a peripheral face concentric to said axis, side members on said drum and having curved inwardly projectin ribs to engage cards disposed between said side members, and spring-pressed clamping means adjustably connected with the drum between the side membersthereof.

7. In a card index device, the combination with the body of a drum mounted to rotate on a horizontal axis and having a peripheral face concentric to said axis, segmental side members on said drum and having curved ribs on their inner faces adapted to engage cards disposed on the body of the drum and In testimony whereof, I have signed this between said side members, springs tending specification 1n the presence of two subto move said segmental side members latscrbing witnesses.

erally away from the body of the drum, and ROBERT C. RUSSELL. 5 manually operable means for normally se- Witnesses:

curing said segmental side members to the J. CLIFFORD RUSSELL,

drum with their ribs engaging the cards. L. D. ERIN. 

